14 DAY TRIAL // Late last year, a domestic dispute between Charlie Sheen and wife Brooke Mueller ended with the actor spending one night in jail and allegations of assault flying all over the place. The actor later announced he would be seeking specialized help in a rehabilitation clinic for problems not revealed to the press, but that also took a toll on the production of his comedy show, “Two and a Half Men.”
In fact, the show continues to take hit after hit following Sheen’s decision to go to rehab, Hollyscoop writes. After the announcement that the series would be put on hold until the star completes treatment comes confirmation that the current season has been cut short. It might be only two episodes less, but that translates into a big disappointment for loyal fans (the series is one of the most highly rated series at the moment) and, last but not least, into a severe financial hit for Sheen himself.
“Instead of doing 24 shows this year, we’ll be doing 22. But 22 is a full order. They had asked us to produce two additional episodes, which we normally do. But we won’t do it this year,” the show’s executive producer, Chuck Lorre, announced. Aside from the fact that fans can’t but take this news as bad news, there is also the question of the kind of money Sheen is losing by not making the additional two episodes. Since he’s undoubtedly among the highest paid television actors right now, the loss is huge: an estimated $1.5 million.
“Charlie Sheen’s little stint in rehab is going to cost him big time. Charlie’s currently one of the highest paid actors on TV so when production on ‘Two and a Half Men’ was cut by two episodes; it cost him over $1.5 million dollars! Charlie gets about $825K per episode, so when misses an episode, it’s a pretty big deal! And we’re sure the 17 million people who tune in would notice if he was missing. Meanwhile Charlie has pleaded not guilty to felony menacing, misdemeanor third degree assault and misdemeanor criminal mischief after he allegedly assaulted his wife Brooke Mueller over the holidays,” the aforementioned e-zine informs.
All this time, Mueller herself is said to be seeking help for a problem that could be alcohol-related from what reports in the media are saying. Her publicist has denied such allegations, but paparazzi managed to track her location down – and she will remain there for a while longer, it is being said.